Pinocho, directed by Guillermo del Toro, is expected to win the Best Animated Feature Film Oscar, amidst tough competition from a range of themes, styles, and techniques in both feature-length and short films. Netflix has earned its spot in this category with their nomination for The Sea Beast, following the success of Klaus and The Mitchells vs. The Machines. Disney-Pixar’s only entry, Red, is not a strong contender for the award, while the revived Shrek franchise with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a favorite, and the independent film, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, combines animation and live-action.
Pinocho has won all of the important animation awards of the year, including the Golden Globe, the Bafta, the Critics Choice Awards, the Producers Guild Award, the Chicago and Los Angeles Critics’ Awards, and five Annie Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. The film is a personal and superb musical adaptation of Claudio Collodi’s classic tale, set in Fascist Italy, that provides new interpretations to the story. It is a stop-motion animation masterpiece that has made history. Following this success, Guillermo del Toro is already preparing another animation project, The Buried Giant, which adapts Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel of the same name and will be supported by Netflix.
Netflix’s other nomination this year is The Sea Beast, a classic adventure and family-oriented film directed by Chris Williams, who previously worked at Disney. The film tells the story of a brave girl who joins a famous sea monster hunter to pursue a powerful beast, inspired by Moby Dick. Although it has no chance of beating Pinocho, The Sea Beast’s presence in this category is a significant recognition of its success. Its director is currently working on a sequel.